Planes, Thrills and Meals: SQ to Kansai, Osaka , Kyoto and Universal Studios Japan

[Hajimbo]

Fantastic Report yflyer! Mrs.yfler sure knows all of good eats around the place! Now i'm really contemplating to go to Kyoto and Osaka for my March trip to Tokyo. The place you've shown seemed to be less manic compared to Tokyo.. Keep up with the TR!!

[HUGE AL]

If you do, please try the NGO airport onsen with runway view!

In Kyoto, did you get a chance to try vegetarian food (shojin ryori) ? I remember a very good and cheap lunch at one of the temples there.

A long term expat living in Japan once recommended that I visit Kobe which is relatively near Osaka. He said that they have an appreciation for beautiful things there (as well as of course the epicurean delights to be found there). One for my long list of places to (re)visit in Japan.

Again, NGO rocks! Weather permitting, the observation deck is insanely large!

jhm, do you remember the name of that lunch place? And yes, everyone should make the jaunt to Kobe.



yflyer, have you gotten the hang of the multi quote feature. You know it applies to all quotes from all people -- like you can quote multiple people and reply to them in one post.

[yflyer]

Fantastic Report yflyer! Mrs.yfler sure knows all of good eats around the place! Now i'm really contemplating to go to Kyoto and Osaka for my March trip to Tokyo. The place you've shown seemed to be less manic compared to Tokyo.. Keep up with the TR!!

Thanks, Hajimbo! The rest of the TR should be done soon!

Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto sounds like a great itinerary! Do consider it!

[yflyer]

yflyer, have you gotten the hang of the multi quote feature. You know it applies to all quotes from all people -- like you can quote multiple people and reply to them in one post.

What multi quote feature?

[SQflyergirl]

What multi quote feature?

It's the "+" sign next to the "quote" button. Allows you to select multiple + signs across different posts to quote the ones you've selected.


And nice TR by the way. Been ages since I was in Japan....

[yflyer]

It's the "+" sign next to the "quote" button. Allows you to select multiple + signs across different posts to quote the ones you've selected.

And nice TR by the way. Been ages since I was in Japan....

Thanks, SQflyergirl!

Weren't you just in Japan 2 months ago?

[yflyer]

At Kyoto Station, I stood dithering by the railway ticketing machines. Should I book regular train tickets or the Shinkansen to Osaka? Come on man, decide! A queue had formed behind me. Most folks didn’t take so long at the machine.



I only recently learned that Shinkansen did not mean “Bullet Train”. That’s just a nickname. Shinkansen translates to New Trunk Line…the high speed train network itself. I had travelled on an earlier version of the Japanese bullet train many years ago, and recall it being an exceptionally smooth and stable ride. I had never tried the latest trains, long and sleek, with distinctive elongated white noses.



The Shinkansen operates between Kyoto and Osaka, but these cities are very close together, just 42km apart. Shinkansen takes 15 minutes, the regular train 30 minutes – the difference was negligible.

I would have picked the Shinkansen just to check out the train. But the cost difference was too high, especially since the ticketing machine only offered more expensive reserved seating on the Shinkansen for our preferred times.

I booked the regular train tickets.

Hopefully we get to try the Shinkansen on a future trip, ideally on a longer route, for example Osaka to Tokyo, a 3 hour 41 minute journey. In March 2016, they will begin a new Shinkansen route: Tokyo to Hakodate, in Hokkaido, taking 4 hours 10 minutes. Now that would be some train journey!

[yflyer]

Our train ride to Osaka was not without incident.

When the JR Express Service pulled into our station, we carried our rollerboards and other bags onboard the train.

For whatever reason, Miss yflyer No.1 had her Samsung S4 in her hand, and as she rolled her luggage onboard the train, she lost her grip on the phone, and it fell through the gap between the train and the platform, onto the track below.

Later, as she recounted the incident, she remembered thinking “don’t drop the phone…don’t drop the phone…”, as it slowly slipped out of her grasp…

Im my mind, I can still visualize the phone pirouetting in slow motion through the air, then sliding and slipping through the narrow gap between train and platform, disappearing onto the ground below.

I also remember the stunned looks of all around as they saw the phone fall and clatter through the gap…was this really happening? What do we do now?

A moment of stunned silence and inaction. The train doors were still open.

“Everybody get off” I barked...and as a family we left the train. The train doors closed and the train left the station.

I went to the edge of the platform and peered down…there was the phone. The impact had caused it to slip partly out of it’s hard case, but it looked intact.

“Everyone wait here. I’ll go get help from the station staff.”

A few meters away, I spotted a group of orange overall-clad station staff on the tracks clearing litter.

I waved them over and pointed to the phone on the ground below, right next to the tracks! One of the workers walked over to our section of the track, picked up the phone, and handed it back to us.

“Arigato Gozaimas! Thank you very much!”



The phone was a little dusty, and had a few new scratches, but otherwise worked fine.

And by sheer coincidence, just less than a meter from where Miss yflyer No.1’s phone had fallen, there was a white iPhone also lying on the tracks…I wondered how long it had been there, and if I should ask them to retrieve that one as well, but thought better of it.

The cleaners picked that one up too, and probably dropped it off at Lost & Found, since there didn’t appear to be anyone looking for it.

Now that was a close shave. I think I scored a few brownie points with Miss yflyer No.1 for narrowly averting disaster, and reuniting her with her primary means of social engagement…

The next express train heading our way arrived less than 15 minutes later, and we were back on track for Osaka.

[yflyer]

We arrived at Osaka Station in the mid afternoon.



From Osaka Station, we connected by subway to Namba before piling into a large taxi, luggage and all, to our apartment close to Dotonburi.

Our accomodations on this leg of our stay in Osaka was an apartment along a quiet street just 5 minutes walk from Dotonburi, along a stretch of the Dotonburi Canal that had no riverside walkway, just before the water way makes a 90 degree turn to the north.



This apartment was booked on AirBnB, and a rep from the apartment owner met us at the entrance at the appointed time, to show us to the unit.



This was a studio apartment, equipped with kitchen, which had ample room for 4, sleeping on two double beds, and a separate low sofa bed as well.







Kitchen and bar counter for dining.



At one end of the room was a balcony overlooking the canal.



From the balcony, you could glimpse the canal-side walkways and lights of Dotonburi not far off in the distance.



Toilet with Toto Washlet.

[yflyer]

Washing machine…



Bathroom, possibly the most sophisticated electronic bathroom setup I have ever encountered…



Heating and taps were electronically operated (All Japanese user interface! Took a little figuring out!)



The electronically controlled bathroom even had a sauna/steam room feature which Mrs yflyer attempted to use on at least one occasion.



The apartment came with wifi, in the form of a portable wimax router, which provided good internet connectivity in the room, and which could also be carried around with you, giving you in effect a personal mobile wifi hotspot for the stay. Very useful.

There was a FamilyMart and also a Lawson close by, not to mention the delights of Dotonburi and Shinsaibashi not far away. A very nice apartment in a wonderful location too.

[yflyer]

That evening, we abandoned the kids in the apartment and took a walk, just Mrs yflyer and I, to Dotonburi.





We made our way in Dotonburi to a restaurant, Kigawa, for the 2nd gourmet dinner on this trip, to celebrate our engagement anniversary.

This was a "kappo" style dinner, freshly prepared across the counter. As mentioned we had just two elaborate meals on this trip, and I tell you, it was not easy to decide where to go.

Speaking of restaurants that we did not try this time round, here is a story about the one that got away...

Remember Hiro? He's my colleague and good buddy based in Tokyo, and the guy who first introduced me to "Kappo" dining at Tamasaka in Tokyo in late October this year. As many of the restaurants in Osaka only took restaurant bookings in Japanese, I enlisted his help to reserve a table at Momen restaurant in Shinsaibashi. He immediately agreed to help, and I sent him the details and phone number by email. A couple of days later, Hiro got back in touch with me...

"Hi yflyer, I have to tell you the unfortunate result for booking...."

"When I called that restaurant, I got the response that it was full this year..."

"....and next year...."

"...they could accept the booking for the year after next...Unbelievable ..."

Well I guess that is what a Michelin ranking, and other accolades, does to a restaurant.

And I wasn't prepared to make dinner plans for 2017 just yet. The disappointment in Hiro's tone was quite palpable, but I thanked him profusely in any case, and hoped he didn't feel too bad about it. I was really grateful he tried, and I have a standing invitation to treat him to dinner in Singapore if he ever finds his way to our sunny island.

Lots of other restaurants to try in Osaka, and we had incredible meals elsewhere all over Kyoto and Osaka, including our dinner that evening at Kigawa, which was another one of the places Mrs yflyer was keen to try.

More on our dinner at Kigawa later on in this report!

[yflyer]

The next morning, I decided to head outside for a long exploratory run through the city. Surfing the internet to crowdsource potential running routes and locations, I decided on a run from Dotonburi to Osaka Castle, where I would go once round the castle before heading back.

My initial plan, based on Google Maps, was to follow the Dotonburi canal round its 90 degree northward turn and then head east towards the castle alongside the canal, but on the ground it became apparent that, unlike the pedestrian walkway along the canal near Dotonburi, there was no path to speak of along this stretch. There was an overhead roadway, but the banks of the canal were impassable to pedestrians as both sides were fenced off as private property for much of the route.





So scratch that plan. Instead I would make my way along the streets and sidelanes of Osaka, towards Osaka Castle, just 3 km away.



As I approached Osaka Castle, the cityscape melted away to reveal a large public park, resplendent in autumn foliage, and dominated by a massive moat and stone fortification, which surrounded the castle grounds and inner courtyard.







What a spectacular park, with a jaw-dropping moat and and very impressive castle grounds.



The whole area is a public park, with both the inner and outer parts of the castle complex open to visitors, tourists and the general public, whether you were sightseeing, running or cycling.



The moat, and stone wall and fortifications were among the largest and most impressive I have seen. An awe-inspiring vista.





Much of the moat was filled with water, but some sections were overgrown vegetation.

[yflyer]

Elsewhere near Osaka Castle, there was a baseball diamond. Baseball is really big in Japan. Some children were enjoying cup noodles after baseball practice…



After going once round the castle, I retraced my steps back to Dotonburi, ending my run along Dotonburi Canal, where an early morning queue had already formed before opening time at a popular takoyaki outlet along the canal. [EDIT: Looking more closely at the photo...I realize now that there are two queues in the photo, one for the takoyaki, and the other longer queue for the Ichiran ramen shop next door!]





I ended my run, appropriately enough, at the Glico Pocky Running man…

"

…where, like on our first morning in Dotonburi, visitors were busy striking their poses…

My running route that day, beginning at our apartment near Dotonburi (The green marker), north towards Osaka Castle, once round the castle, then back south to Dotonburi, running along the canal and ending at the Glico Pocky Running Man (The red marker), for a total of just over 12 km.

[yflyer]

That afternoon, I headed back to Osaka Castle, by subway this time, with Mrs yflyer and the kids for some proper sightseeting.





Whereas in the morning I merely went around the castle, this time we headed inside the castle complex for a closer look…





While the massive moat and stone walls, made out of large interlocking granite boulders, have been been in existence since the 1600’s, and have been the scene of various wars and sieges since then, the actual castle tower itself was destroyed by fire in the 1800’s and was reconstructed from 1931.

The current main castle tower, looking resplendent in green, white, black and gold , was restored in 1995-1997 to it’s Edo-era external appearance, and has a modern interior that serves as a museum.



While the castle grounds are open to the public, there is a nominal JPY 600 entrance fee to enter the main castle tower itself, to view the museum and top floor viewing gallery.



There is a queue to use the elevator to the 8th floor viewing gallery, but to skip the queue (and get some exercise), there is also a staircase up to the 8th floor and there is no queue for that.



If taking the stairs, signboards advise visitors to to huff and puff all the way 8 floors up to the viewing gallery, before taking in the view, then proceeding to view the museum exhibits in descending floor order.

[yflyer]

While only 50m up from the caslte grounds, the view from the top of the tower is quite spectacular.









History buffs would also enjoy the museum exhibits and dioramas, outlining the history of the castle, much of it violent, with the occasional disaster, either natural or man made.



Several floors contain historical artifacts, such as weapons, suits of armour and headgear, where photography is prohibited, but viewing these, one can appreciate both the art and craftsmanship of the era, and also, surprisingly, the amount of influence the style of armor and headgear of the era influenced George Lucas, and the creative concepts of Star Wars.

Some of the replica masks on the non-historical levels of the museum do give an idea of where the inspiration for Darth Vader’s helmet came from…



The shape of the helmet is unmistakeable, and that impression was further reinforced when looking at some of the other actual historical artifacts, where the similarities were even more clearly apparent.